A machine is known for finishing an object, such as a wooden profiled element, or suchlike, which comprises feed means to feed the object to be finished along a reference plane.
The machine also comprises one or more work stations mounted in line on the base, along the reference plane, at a determinate distance from each other, in order to finish longitudinally the outer surfaces of the object.
Generally, part of the work stations is able to smooth the outer surfaces of the object, and comprises a supporting frame, or operative assembly, inside which an abrasive belt is arranged or one or more abrasive grinding wheels driven by relative motors.
Each supporting frame, or operative assembly, can be oriented, as desired, according to the position of the surface of the object on which the abrasive belt has to exert its smoothing action. To be more exact, the supporting frame, or operative assembly, can be positioned as desired between a first operating position substantially vertical with respect to the reference plane, and a second operating position inclined with respect to the first operating position by an angle of less than 180°.
To ensure that all the outer surfaces of the object are smoothed, the abrasive belts are able to contact alternately the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the object. In this way, the relative supporting frames are thus arranged alternately above, below, left and right with respect to the base.
This alternated arrangement of the supporting frames however, entails a lateral bulk that is irregular with respect to the base, causing problems of safety, in order to limit the risk of accidents.
It is therefore difficult to guarantee the safety of the workers, especially to prevent them from accessing the zone where the abrasive belt, or abrasive grinding wheel, contacts the object, and to prevent the accidental escape from said zone of chip or other waste materials.
It is also difficult to guarantee the safety of the workers, to prevent their access to the zone where the objects pass from one work station to another, guided by profiles with guide wheels and pressed on the feed means by other pressure wheels.
The other work stations provided on finishing machines are chosen each time according to the type of finishing that has to be performed on the object and are, for example, painting, covering, cutting stations, etc.
On the one hand, this choice allows wide flexibility in setting up the machine, but on the other hand it entails, on each occasion, a specific design of the base according to the type of work stations that have to be mounted, with a consequent increase in production times and costs, and also in the management of the spare parts in store.
Another disadvantage is that, on each occasion, specific connection members have to be provided, which allow the various feed means to be mounted on the base.
From WO-A-03/099461, of the same applicant of the present patent application, it is known an apparatus and a method for painting objects, wherein the apparatus comprises a painting head for painting the objects, a movement member to move the objects through the painting head, working members arranged upstream and in line with the painting head to perform a treatment on the objects before they are introduced into the painting head, and a drying member arranged downstream and in line with the painting head in order to dry the objects after they have been painted.
Moreover, from DE-A-19 920 950 it is known a machining device which has a transport chain between input and output stations carrying work-pieces, as panels for furniture, to various processing stations for edge profiling, glue application, and capping, and a frame carrying the stations and transport chain. Each processing station consists of a segment and at least one module. The segment contains running track sections for the transport chain and a base bearer as a frame section for connection to base bearers of adjacent segments. However, this known machine is solely useful for working one single edge of the panel to be worked at a time; in fact each panel can be inserted in the machine from only one side thereof.
One purpose of the present invention is to achieve a finishing machine for a profiled element, a panel or suchlike, which will prevent an operator from directly accessing the zone where the tools of the various work stations are in action, or the adjacent transport zones where the object passes from one work station to another, and prevent waste materials or other elements present, from escaping accidentally from said zones.
Another purpose of the present invention is to achieve a finishing machine which does not require, on each occasion, a specific design of the components, according to the finishing operations to be performed, or the type of object to be worked.
Another purpose of the present invention is to achieve a finishing machine which can provide any type of feed means for the objects, without requiring specific connection members on each occasion.
Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.